If you haven’t read my full review of One Day in December by Josie Silver yet, stop by my blog to read it! .
This book has cheered me up so much this holiday season that I’m thinking of bumping up my rating from a 4 to a 5 on Goodreads.
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Does anyone else struggle with 5 star reviews? Sometimes I feel like I need to “save” them for super “literary” books, but a part of me also wants to recognize a book for what it is within its own genre, especially when it brings me so much joy!
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What is your policy on giving out 5 ⭐️?

I walk, I look, I see, I stop, I photograph.
- Leon Levinstein
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Having said that we all know how much clicking good pictures is important for Bookstagram and in life, capturing the moments we can relive later. They are memories for life. Just as content plays a big role for our BG profiles, the pictures do too. And sometimes we cannot manage it alone; consider the times when you need both your hands in the picture.😅 or our hands aren’t too long to take a perfect top view or the auto timing system of clicking photos wouldn’t work out. We do need help. This post is a shoutout to those who help us crack that perfect shot.
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While it is mostly the Mister for me, I do rope in a few friends who help me with pictures spinning magic with their wonderful cameras and skill. This photo here is by a colleague and a friend at work.
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It has both the things I cannot do without. Tea and Books. ( the mug had real tea!😅)💚 Thank you Saish @rautsaish for capturing it just like I imagined.
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How about you? Who helps you out with your pictures? Or do you possess the superpower of clicking all your pictures yourself? Let’s show some gratitude to them who make our grams look nice.
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#bookstagram#bookphotography#booksandtea#booksbooksbooks

Curled up in bed with my Kindle propped up on its side so I can be cocooned in the duvet and snuggled up. Heheheh! A small ramble below with a life update.
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I recently decided to temporarily suspend my university studies due to my declining mental health. My doctor and I have agreed on a psychiatrist referral to see what’s going on inside my noggin because I have tried all but a couple of the SSRIs/SNRIs that I can and absolutely none of them have helped me combat my daily thoughts/feelings, and considering the dose I’m currently on I should’ve felt a colossal difference. So we’re starting to wonder if there’s a different diagnosis on the horizon — the main one we’re wondering about is autism — and whilst I’m really nervous I’m also relieved to be getting the help I need. But lately I’ve been struggling with uni and haven’t been able to do the work I need to do, and haven’t wanted to do it. All due to my mental state unfortunately. So I have decided to suspend until September so I have a lot of time to myself, a lot of time to improve myself and get my mental health back on track. This photo is a representation of one of my most recent mental health days! It was SO blissful!

My fiancée @imogell_arts and I are currently reading the same book! We’ve been on the same page count all the way through, and it’s been brilliant to be able to talk about the book as we’re reading it. Accidentally ordering the same book twice has its perks!

I saw a love re-kindle this year; just like a flower blooms when you keep watering it, I planted a wish and nurtured it, willed for it to grow and grow it did, in a passion never to be forgotten again.
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I don’t seem to remember the time I started drifting from classics. The last I remember reading one was Pride and Prejudice years back. The reason I could only assume right now is may be the pace of my life was not synchronous to the pace a classic proceeds; slow, calm and satisfying. A lot was happening and too fast. This year, I ‘wanted’ to get back to them and surprisingly they all treated me so good. I loved the entire process of traveling the length of the book and soaking in the literature it had to offer. It brings me back to the same question again- why did I ever stop reading them?!! I might never find a satisfactory answer to this, ever!But, what I found instead was my love for them; and this time it’s here to stay for a long long time. Orwell, Woolf and Jean Rhys were favourites. And what do I say about The picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde, it just tops the list and you already know my feelings for the book. It was beautiful. I cannot thank 2018 enough for it and looking at 2019 with equal hopes and discovering more classic books.
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I brought back the Classic genre in my reading life this year. what did you discover? A genre long lost? Or a genre you fell in love for the first time and can’t wait to explore more?
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#bookstagram#classicbooks#virginiawoolf#georgeorwell#jeanrhys#oscarwilde#booksbooksbooks

Hello Bookish Friends 🤗
Yesterday we talked about books that surprised us this year. Now let’s talk about books that disappointed you in 2018. For me, it’s Mirage, The Hazel Wood, Grace and Fury, and the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. For Mirage and Grace and Fury I was just very underwhelmed while reading them when I was expecting to be blown away. The Hazel Wood was just not enjoyable at all. The Stalking Jack the Ripper series aggravated me so much! I keep reading the books in anticipation of finally understanding why everyone likes them so much. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever understand!😂
💖 What are books that disappointed you this year?
🍂 Have you read any of these books I talked about? Thoughts? 📖 thanks book lovers 🤗
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#books#booklovers#bookishfriends#yabooks#fantasybooks#mybookishlife#bookstagram#stalkingjacktheripper#mirage#graceandfury#thehazelwood

A new blog post is up! (Link in bio). .
Last weekend when I read One Day in December by Josie Silver, I knew I would finish it within a matter of days. To make sure the lighthearted, warm and fuzzies I was feeling continued, I ran out to purchase a copy of This Charming Man by Marian Keyes - a novel I have read before and always remember fondly. .
I read this book for the first time when I was travelling in Europe several years ago (and discarded my copy when I finished reading to lighten my luggage while backpacking). Though the subject matter isn’t always light and funny, it is delivered in such a way that you might find yourself sobbing from laughter and sadness in a single chapter, much like One Day in December. .
I plan to read this book over the holidays after I finish To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (which I’m loving by the way). .
Have you read This Charming Man? Which book have you purchased twice?

💬 When you’re shopping for the holidays, do you ever end up buying stuff for yourself as well?
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I am 1000% guilty of this. I can’t even lie. Take this stack featuring my newest #bookmail, for example. Remember Amazon’s $5 off $20 coupon? Well, I took advantage of that and bought @authorrsgrey’s Arrogant Devil and @christinalauren’s My Favorite Half-Night Stand. I won Dear Summer from a giveaway @authorsantanablair was holding. Yay! And the ARC of Ayesha at Last by @uzmajalaluddin showed up yesterday. (Thank you, @berkleyromance!) But yeah, a couple books aren’t the only thing I’ve bought myself lately. I mean, I’ve bought a lot for other people, too… that counts for something, right?
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But speaking of shopping, I ran to the mall today to pick up one of the last gifts I needed to get. I went early enough that it wasn’t chaotic inside. The parking garage was a totally different story though. Dang. People are insane. And they can’t drive. Though, to be fair, they can’t do that very well on any normal day either. It’s still gross and rainy here and I have no intention of leaving my apartment again until I have to leave for work tomorrow morning. I got a bunch of bookstagram photos done and I think I’m going to curl up and read until the Steelers game.
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#bookstagram#booksofig#bookaholic#bookish#bookaddict#shereads#bookobsessed#bookaddict#mybookishlife#readersofig#readromance#romancereader#bookstack#bookmail

Hello Bookish Friends 🤗
What were the books that surprised you the most this year? The books you didn’t think you would like, but ended up enjoying or loving? For me, it’s Dance of Thieves, The Astonishing Color if After, Turtles all the way down, and Dread Nation. For Turtles and the Color of After they were both so hyped that I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like them but I ended up really enjoying them! Dance of thieves takes place in the world of the Kiss of Deception series which is usually a concept that I don’t like but I really loved it! Dread nation revolves around zombies in the Civil war era which doesn’t sound like my cup of tea but it was amazing! 💖 What books surprised you the most this year? 🍂 Have you read any of these books I talked about? Thoughts? 📖 thanks book lovers 🤗
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#books#booklovers#bookishfriends#yabooks#fantasybooks#mybookishlife#bookstagram#suprisingreads#turtlesallthewaydown#johngreen#anastonishingcolorofafter#dreadnation#danceofthieves#thekissofdeception

I brought out my inner Henry Winter when I laid out this photo of The Secret History next to my fountain pen.
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It’s been over a week since I finished rereading this book and in some ways I’m still processing it. I suppose that’s why it lends itself well to being reread! (Thanks to @blogaboutalatte for hosting the readalong!) .
Though the novel deeply plot-driven, what is sticking with me most this time around is character development. Richard, Henry, Francis, Charles, Camilla, even Bunny. On paper they are all awful, but I found myself slowly being charmed by them, rooting for them. .
If you have read The Secret History, tell me in the comments:
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Who was your favourite character? In particular, what did you think of Henry (he stuck with me the most)?
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Spoiler warning: if you have not read the book the comments may contain spoilers!

#flipaleafreviews French Exit by Patrick deWitt
✏️
If I had to describe this book in two words, they would be- Entertaining and Bizarre. I think it is one of those books which was just refreshing, something I hadn’t read in the last few months.
The book sees Frances and his man-child Malcom stripped off their wealth after Franklin’s (Frances’ husband) death. They move to Paris and get together with people they call friends. It’s a new kind of life, a temporary until Frances works on solving their misery.
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I liked the book for:
🔸characters, who were weird but funny
🔸writing, which is layered revealing character traits under queer situations.
🔸The fascinating plot line
🔸the wit that appears as a whiff of fresh air intermittently between pages.
🔸For the love of croissants,wine and the beautiful city of Paris.
✏️
I had no complains as such with the book, only that the conclusion left me disheartened and given Frances’ character, I really hoped for a better one. I would recommend this book if you are looking for an easy no-brainer read for a holiday or to take a break from the non-fiction books and sorts which sometimes leave us heavy in our heart and mind.
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Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Thank you @bloomsburyindia for this entertainer.
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Which was the last refreshing and entertaining book that you read? And that you would recommend.
#bookstagram#bookreview#frenchexit#booksbooksbooks